Modus vivendi

Homophobic bigots (opinion)

2009-03-30T14:57:00.000-07:00

Four centuries and two years ago, the first colony in American was established. Since then, many people of differing backgrounds have migrated to America to seek tolerance for their way of life. However, many of these people who sought tolerance were not tolerant of those who went against their own belief system.

Today, many people have much contempt for those who do not follow their own code of morality, and make it their business to have their moral standards as law. Many “immoral” actions have been banned, or are restricted; actions that include prostitution, abortion, public nudity, premarital sex, and homosexuality.

What's interesting about the previously listed actions is that many who proclaim they are immoral often engage in the activities, and might not be very “loud” in outright banning them all: all but homosexuality, specifically homosexual marriages.

Many people do not understand the circumstance of being gay, and assume that it is a disease, or that people simply make an irrational decision and choose to be gay. They believe it's sinful and immoral, and that God detests those that engage in homosexual activities. If God is omnipotent, he most certainly knows and loves homosexuals, and is fine with their lifestyle.

Stripping the right to be married from them based on the archaic procreation and marriage belief systems and actively campaigning against them is the height of folly in this era, and shows the ignorance in which they live. It is especially ignorant of the conservative religious groups to look down on homosexuals when they themselves commit sins of cheating, stealing, greed, and blasphemy when proclaiming “God’s Message,” a message distorted to serve the religious groups’ own purposes.

These purposes can be summed up as "Tyranny of the Majority" as the rights of those who form a small minority do not have enough votes, power, or influence to protect their lifestyle. The majority casts them down and spits upon their ideals, ignoring their needs and their contributions to the country. These events happen as the government stands by and does nothing, much money lobbied to them from these conservative religious groups to "protect" the country from "immorality." The government does not do its job, and contributes to the problem.

While America is still fighting the intolerance within, how can she be a shining example of the “Land of the Free” to the rest of the world?

American teens, where art though intelligence?

2008-04-08T17:32:00.000-07:00

I was reading a news story, and was absolutely shocked at what I had read. Six teen girls beating on another teen girl, videotaping it, and planning to show it on YouTube as a popular video. The article can be found here. There are video clips in it as well, showing a scene of such primal violence.

After reading the article, my first thought was, "Jesus, these girls should be imprisoned for life and denied even the most basic rights." I did more thinking, and was wondering how the girls could come to such an idea, how they thought they would get away with it, and why their common sense didn't stop them from doing such a premeditated act. I came to the conclusion that the answer is one that has been plaguing this generation of teens: Bad parenting and a horrible public high school system.

I believe bad parenting is running rampant, with parents letting their children do as they please and not caring what really happens. There are few rules for the children to follow, essentially too many privileges with no responsibilities. These children believe that they are immune to trouble when they compare themselves to other teens who have a "normal" family with parents restricting them in some ways. These teens are brought up to do what they want, and unless they have other role-models, they literally will do what they want to the point they will get in serious trouble.

The second major problem is the public school education system. Teachers who are not qualified are teaching teens, scholastic goals for each teen are not being enforced by the school system (no real consequences for cutting class, not doing homework, etc.), and the deadly influences of religion are are being interwined into the state funded curriculum rather than being taught in proper setting such as a church. The students are not learning much at less they truly want to be there, and lets face it, most people who are in high school do not appreciate being there as they go through it.

The teens are less fit to be alone in the real world than their parents are, and the parenting system will further degrade as each generation gets a worse education than the previous until the modern world finally collapses and the human race is plunged into another dark age. The education system requires the parents to be the motivating factor in getting their children to attend classes with no other enforcer, and until such a time exists, the government should devote some resources to forcing minors to attend school at less they are given the consent from a doctor that they are not well enough to attend school.

Jeremy

A Thought After Reading an Email

2008-04-08T16:51:00.001-07:00

I was looking through my email this morning, and came across a rather interesting chain letter. I copied and pasted it below,

I bought a bird feeder. I hung it on my back porch and filled it with seed. Within a week we had hundreds of
birds taking advantage of the continuous flow of free and easily accessible foodBut then the birds started building nests in the boards of the patio, above the table, and next to the barbecue. Then came the poop. It was everywhere: on the patio tile, the chairs, the table....everywhere! Then some of the birds turned mean. They would dive bomb me and try to peck me even though I had fed them out of my own pocket. And others birds were boisterous and loud. They sat on the feeder and squawked and screamed at all hours of the day and night and demanded that I fill it when it got low on food. After a while, I couldn't even sit on my own back porch anymore. So I took down the bird feeder, and in three days the birds were gone. I cleaned up their mess and took down the many nests they had built all over the patio. Soon, the back yard was the way it used to be.... quiet, serene and no one demanding their rights to a free meal. Now let's see. ............ Our government gives out free food, subsidized housing, free medical care, and free education and allows anyone born here to be an automatic citizen. Then the illegals came by the tens of thousands. Suddenly our taxes went up to pay for free services; small apartments are housing 5 families; you have to wait 6 hours to be seen by an emergency room doctor; your child's 2nd grade class is behind other schools because over half the class doesn't speak English. Corn Flakes now come in a bilingual box; I have to 'press one' to hear my bank talk to me in English, and people waving flags other than 'Old Glory' are squawking and screaming in the streets, demanding more rights and free liberties. Just my opinion, but maybe it's time for the government to take down the bird feeder.If you agree, pass it on; if not, continue cleaning up the poop!

The body of the letter is a story alluding to illegal immigrants in this country and how they are a drain on American social programs. They come over and find jobs, generally very low paying, and once they achieve the status as an American citizen they line up at all the social programs offices that will give them aid.

While I do believe this to be unethical, I do no think it is that big of an issue alone to be truly worried about. However, social programs as a whole do need to be looked at, and require many more limitations than they do now, if not entirely eliminated. Many people may disagree with me, but the question is why are they disagreeing. Most would disagree because they require and depend on certain social programs to survive. The dependency on such programs is a crutch for the American people that use them, and ultimately does not allow them to learn how to take care of themselves through smart budgeting, paying bills on time, and buying only what is essential.

Through the last six months, my mother has had me pay for my car insurance and gas from working $8.00/hour part-time at Safeway in order to teach me the responsibility of money. I am 19 years old and drive a 2000 Chevy Tahoe (32 miles round trip to school and back each day), so both gas an insurance cost a lot. I am able to not only pay for such things dealing with my car, but also food and some entertainment as well, while saving a little on the side each week. If I were to multiply my earnings out for each week, I would make a total $15,000 a year before union fees, government taxes, etc.

I look at the money I make, and know that if I were to work full time, take public transportation, and always buy in bulk what was on sale, I would still have a surplus of money if living alone. This involves no splurging on things I do not need; only what was essential.

A person is able to live on a low income and not require federal aid, it is a matter of being smart with one's money. The biggest reason, I think, in how people end up on social programs is their want to have children. Couples who are not able to afford the costs of a child should not have them. It is a huge oversight, if not intentional to get more money from welfare offices, furthering their dependency on such social programs.

Such over expenditures of one's money and inability to properly budget causes people to fall behind on paying taxes and such. Items such as alcohol, drugs, cable television, etc. should not be bought if money is an issue. In conclusion, the government should instead be investing money normally used for social programs into teach people about how to wisely use money, as less money will be spent on social programs, and more people will be better off in life.

Jeremy

The "Protestant Revolution" of Islam

2008-04-03T17:04:00.000-07:00

I was scanning through news articles about Muslims in the Middle East, Islam extremist, and the likes until I ran over a rather interesting topic talking about a Muslim who is trying to promote free thought, women's rights, and separation of church and state in Muslim countries. I found this interesting because this man is promoting when he believes to be human rights and the path to a successful government in Islamic States in the face of adversity.

I was reminded much of Martin Luther when reading through this article. Like Martin Luther, this man, Abdullahi Ahmed an-Naim, sees the problems in his religion and recognizes ways to improve it according to their religious documents. Like Martin Luther, he encourages intellectualism rather than blind faith and acceptance, and tries to promote innovative ideas that will help the religion become healthy. He is a notable man for trying to improve the way of life in the Middle East and trying to modernize the way of thinking in that part of the world.

All we can do, unfortunately, is sit and watch how things play out. Extremism is a very deadly thing and can discourage members from following even the most simple logic. Important voices are silenced in the name of orthodoxy, and no one is given a chance to speak up.

Jeremy

The article is Here.

Prevention of Illigal Immigrants by Fence

2008-04-01T21:02:00.000-07:00

I was reading an article about the American government building a fence along 400 miles of land bordering Mexico. According to the article, the government has bypassed many laws using some waivers and are preparing to build the fence. They claim that it will deter illegal immigration and are preparing to spend what is needed in order to complete the fence by the end of 2008.

I was thinking to myself about the cost of the fence, manpower involved, cost in repairs, and finally the human will. People will go to any lengths to get what they need and want in life, regardless of the cost. Regardless of any defensive mechanism in place, there are always ways around them, and even through them. While a fence may prevent people from illegally immigrating from Mexico initially, those who wish to immigrate to America will eventually find a way to do so.

The article says specifically that it is a fence that will be built, which leaves the assumption that it will be the chained iron strips crisscrossing and held together by large iron poles on either side, with the possibility of electricity flowing through it, maybe even some barbed wire at the top of the fence. Throwing aside the negative ecological impacts of such a fence, such a fence might be a good idea. Although, one must question if these fences will be constantly patrolled. If they aren't, a pair of rubber gloves and fence cutters will get someone through any fence. If we look at the ex-U.S.S.R. there were parts of that nation with fences rather than walls, and even had military personnel stationed around the fenced borders ordered to kill anyone trying to escape. Even with such extreme methods in place, residents of the U.S.S.R. still managed to escape. It is doubtful that American soldiers will be posted around the fence, or even shoot on sight, so history has shown us that the human will can get through even the toughest of fences.

Economically, it isn't smart to build such a fence. Illegal immigration will still occur, and adding a fence to build and repair to the budget can cause more of a strain on the economy as it will require more money and other government projects that may truly need the money will suffer. Deportation will still occur, budgeting for assault forces to catch illegal immigrants will still occur, payroll for those whom handle illegal immigration will still occur, so adding a fence to the equation is an utter waste of tax payer's money.

Jeremy

Article is: Rules to be Waived for Border Fence by Eileen Sullivan

Global Impact of Biofuel

2008-04-01T19:19:00.000-07:00

I was reading an article on Yahoo News, and found an interesting article dealing with the impact of of biodiesel as it becomes used more often. The basics of the article tells the readers that in order to supply the demand for biodiesel, forests must be cleared to grow more crops, and with more land being used for the crops required for biodiesel, the prices of these crops is rising and is having an affect on the prices of products that rely on these crops (eggs, meat, and anything coming from livestock).

The article specifically talks about land being converted to farmland in the Indonesian area and how it is having a negative effect on the environment. The type of land that is being cleared are peatlands, which releases huge amounts of carbon into the atmosphere contributing to global warming. According to the article, it will take approximately 800 years of using biodiesel cars to make up the amount of green house gases released into the air from clearing the peatlands.

This article is a perfect example of the requirement to take four steps backward for every five steps forward. Every project requires a little sacrifice and spending in order to make progress. Although the question is, are we in a position to make such a sacrifice? The consequences of causing so much carbon to be emitted into the atmosphere might cause the disastrous effects of global warming to occur before the earth starts to revert due to our efforts. Our other immediate option is to suspend the privilege of driving oneself around and use the public transportation system in use. Buses and trains will need to be added into the system in order to accommodate an influx of new people. This is the dilemma we face, both choices will have a negative influence on cultures and economies, but which choice is most beneficial to the preservation of our planet when self-servitude is taken out of the equation?

Assuming the suspension of cars was to take place, the motor industry and oil industry would be forced to spend more money into creating a high efficiency electric car, or other projects to invent complete environmentally friendly cars. New technologies could begin to take root as a desperation for personal travel creeps up, and we may see the beginning of a new age. Time will tell how we as a species strive to overcome the inconvenience of global warming.

Jeremy

The article is located here:

World cooling on biofuel solution to climate change

(Article written by: Aubrey Belford)

Re: Barack Bowl

2008-03-30T21:10:00.000-07:00

I was reading a New York Times blog page of Barack Obama dropping by a bowling alley and bowling with one of the patrons. I must say, genuine or not, it is rather great of him to spend some time with people whom he will be representing if he wins the presidential election. Lets hope that he does things like this if he does win presidency, as his interaction directly with people will have a bigger affect on him and how he decides his policies as well as which policies to make rather than hearing what needs to be done and how only from his cabinet members, and will be good for keeping his public image decent in the face of the country.

For the story, the blog is located here: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/30/barack-bowl/#more-4667

Jeremy

Should China host the Olympics?

2008-03-30T20:37:00.000-07:00

There are many people who believe that China should not host the 2008 summer Olympics because of their aggression towards the people of Tibet and unwillingness to negotiate, as well as their restrictions on freedom of speech and press within their country and ejection of all news media personnel from their country. Part of the reason they have limited the freedom of speech and press in their own country is to prevent the rest of the world from knowing some of their actions against those whom are protesting for Tibet, as well as many of the social problems in their country, not to mention that many of these freedoms are due to expire around the end of the Olympics.

I was doing some thinking about China hosting the Olympics, and came to the conclusion that, throwing ethics aside, it is actually most beneficial for everyone in the world to have the Olympics in China. The amount of control the Chinese government will exert over its people to be on their best behavior for the Olympics will cause a severe amount of stress and discontent that will spark violent riots and protests from the people, especially after the Olympics take place when some of their rights are repealed. The resulting violence from the Chinese citizens may be enough to overthrow the Communist government that is currently ruling, and get support from some Western powers.

The Olympics are essentially a catalyst for the Chinese people to seek their freedom with the rest of the world watching. All the extra laws and methods of control will cause the government to be overthrown sooner than anticipated as resentment will not grow from generation to generation as it has been, but will reach its peak sooner with the government placing numerous laws at once rather than throughout the years. Consider the analogy that if you add a little bit of water to a dammed lake with no outlet, it will eventually overflow break over a period of time, but if you add a lot of water at once, it will overflow and break much sooner. The same will happen to the Chinese government as the Olympics approach.

Jeremy

Presidential candidate passport breach

2008-03-21T13:26:00.000-07:00

I was reading yahoo news this morning, and came across an article about unauthorized access to three presidential candidate's passport information by someone in the State Department. Within the article, they had quotes from both Obama and McCain on their thoughts that there was a breach on protocol. The paragraph in the article talking to Obama read,

"When you have not just one but a series of attempts to tap into peoples' personal records, that's a problem not just for me but for how our government functions," Obama told reporters in Portland, Ore. "I expect a full and thorough investigation. It should be done in conjunction with those congressional committees that have oversight so it's not simply an internal matter."

It struck me as odd because he wanted more than the normal methods for solving the problem to take place, but special intervention from Congress. It strikes me as ironic that he wants to use Congress' assistance and resources to resolve the matter when there is a method in use to handle that particular problem, yet criticizes Bush's waste of resources in the War in Iraq. It seems to me as if he himself is involved, the matters deserve special attention and resources should be devoted to it.

I do think that his statement says a lot more about him as a man, as well. People every day suffer from identity theft and stolen personal information, yet their crisis's must go through the proper channels of authority set up to resolve the issue. He wants a special ordeal set up now that the victim is himself, how righteous. This can function as an indication of what will dictate his choices while in office if he gets elected president, as well.

This quotation affirms Hillary Clinton's statement that Obama lacks experience, as he does not think of the other projects he stopped several congressmen in doing with his expectations that they assist in this issue. Oversights can drastically hurt the country if it is large enough, and America is in bad enough shape as it is. He either does no think things fully through, or did not consider and think before he spoke.

Jeremy

Source article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080321/ap_on_el_pr/obama_passport

Edit: Yahoo seems to be redirecting that link to other articles. If it is incorrect, another article can be found here labeled as "Rice Apologizes to Obama for Passport Breach:" http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/03/21/america/NA-GEN-US-Obama-Passport.php

Lobbying

2008-03-19T12:49:00.000-07:00

Lobby - to solicit or try to influence the votes of members of a legislative body.
Bribe- anything given or serving to persuade or induce.

Politicians often accept lobbies because it is a large sum of money that can help them in their campaign. They will try to satisfy the person(s) who gave them the money by voting in a certain way on issues in Congress to ensure that they continue to get money from that source. This practice has existed for a length of time and attempts to thwart it have not succeeded, as in the case of Rumely v. United States. Ways to regulate have arisen, such as that lobbyist have to register with a lobbying union and file reports every two years. Nonetheless, the problem still exists.

The interesting thing about lobbying is that it is related to bribery in the most general of context. Why is it that bribery is a federal offense, yet accepting lobbies from a private person is acceptable? In both cases, one party is receiving money to vote in a particular way, or to have political leanings in a certain direction. The fine line between lobbying and bribery seems to exist that one of the parties is registered to "lobby" and the other one is not.

In the case of our politicians, are they really the people we want to have in office who do not have the best ethics, and use the negligible difference between lobbying and bribery to say it is acceptable? Politicians function to express the desire of the people they represent, not the private person whom they receive their large sums of money.

Jeremy

My first blog

2008-03-10T14:39:00.000-07:00

Hello all,
I am new to the blog scene, and am somewhat interested in the whole blog atmosphere. Granted I started this blog as a part of an English assignment, I do plan to continue this blog after that particular course is over. I may only be a college student, but I still have my opinions on certain matters which I plan to write about, and I hope this blog will help me better understand a portion of the art of journalism and literature. I plan to write about a wide variety of topics rather then write within a narrow category so that can fully express my opinions on events that may come up. I encourage any readers to respond to my topics so that I might be able to see how other people view things as well.

Jeremy